As a parent of a runner on the London Runner Distance Club, I'd like
to thank you for the food and service we enjoyed at your new
restaurant in Brockville. The atmosphere in your great room was
lovely - warm and welcoming - and you were very accommodating. The
Italian mother among us took a second plate of caesar salad, which
speaks highly of the dressing. (She loves garlic.) The pasta was
extra good. We were all well fed. Thank-you for making it possible!

Frances Anderson, Exeter.

Rob and Staff,

Thank you so much for making Michelle and Morley's day so special. the food was absolutely perfect & the service stellar!

We appreciate all or you efforts. Please extend our thanks to your staff for being so attentive to our guests.

M & L

Dear Rob and Staff,

You made my brother & sister-in-laws' anniversary very special. the meal was a 10 & the wine was a 100. Thanks so much. So nice to have you on our street with a fantastic restaurant in town.

Ruth

We had lunch on your patio yesterday, and it was fabulous. The food was outstanding and the setting wonderful. We will definitely come back again for lunch as well as dinner and the service was impeccable.

Again, thank you for a wonderful afternoon,

Marion Alexander
Legal Assistant

Hello everyone;
I have enjoyed fine dining at Slackoni's on many occasions - Rob is the owner/Chef.
The variety and selections on Rob's menu is outstanding!
My only suggestion to you the would be diner is, that you make sure Rob is in the kitchen - your food will be out of this world! 
It is by far - better than "Little Italy" in downtown Ottawa - guaranteed!
Donna

Fantastic evening yesterday, loved everything! ... We will definitely be back, maybe for the wine tasting night. Thanks again for a great meal and great service...

Vanessa

The following review appeared in the Carleton Place Canadian August 22, 2006:

Slackoni’s a ‘hidden (culinary) jewel’ By Peter Menyasz

“A hidden jewel” is how owner Rob Slack describes the outdoor patio of his new Carleton Place restaurant, Slackoni’s.

“Nobody knows it’s here,” Slack says of the greenery-surrounded area overlooking the Mississippi River just down Mill Street from the town hall. That’s an exaggeration, of course. The Italian-cuisine restaurant only opened officially on May 31, but on a Wednesday, the spirited conversation from a lively lunch crowd competes against the sound of the river tumbling over the nearby falls.

Slack moved to Carleton Place about 13 years ago and, until recently, was chef and part-owner of an award-winning Italian eatery in Ottawa. “Thirteen years ago, the town wasn’t ready for a restaurant like this,” he says. As the town grew and became more sophisticated, he kept his eyes open for an opportunity.

Then the former At the Dam restaurant came up for sale, at a time when Slack was ready to move on from his previous business relationship. “It just happened that everything fell together at the same time.”

Starting up and running a new restaurant is an incredibly time-consuming enterprise. Between that and taking the odd evening or day off to watch his daughter play soccer, there’s not much spare time left over, Slack says.  “That’s part of the industry. Luckily, I have an understanding wife who lets me love the industry.”

As you might expect, there’s a story behind the restaurant’s name.

Slack’s partner in his previous venture, an Italian, was mildly embarrassed to explain that the delicious Italian dishes were prepared by an Irish-heritage chef who lived in Carp. So Rob Slack became “Roberto Slackoni” from the region of “Carponi”.

Slackoni’s can provide another piece of the puzzle in turning Carleton Place into a destination for tourists, rather than just a drive-through on the way to the cottage, Slack says. “It can only get better from here on in . . . there’s a lot of opportunity in this town. I see excitement in the people’s faces for something new and different.”

The food at Slackoni’s is definitely gourmet, with decadent sauces on the pasta and meat dishes and rich desserts. The focus is on fresh food, with everything prepared on-site except the canned tomatoes. But the emphasis is on casual fine dining, Slack says.

“Everybody is welcome. We want everybody to feel the same, and we treat everybody the same,” he says. “It’s not about getting dressed up. It’s about really good food and having a really relaxing time.”

Welcoming environment

Friendly servers enhance the welcoming environment. “I’ve got phenomenal staff. They all treat it like their own restaurant.”

The décor bears out the owner’s emphasis on comfort and informality. The entry is bright and welcoming in daylight, with attractive stained glass framing the doorway and leading the way to a small, six-seat bar. Past the bar, a door leads to the patio dining area overlooking the Mississippi River.

The main floor dining room features relaxing green walls dotted with painted grapes, shuttered windows overgrown with greenery and rustic wooden beams overhead. The “upstairs” area features a slightly more formal look, with dark wood flooring, tasteful artwork on the pastel walls, large leaded windows and more of the overhead beams.

Tablecloths throughout are black and white checked, tying in nicely with the black and white floor tiles in the foyer and main floor. Servers are dressed in plain black and white to complete the theme. Place settings feature fanned cloth napkins, heavy cutlery and oversized wine glasses.

Slack and sous-chef Dave Chew have worked together for the past eight years, and together do all of the restaurant’s cooking. “It maintains the consistency level, because you only have two people doing it,” Slack says. “I tell people – if you don’t like the food today, you won’t like it tomorrow either, because it’s going to be exactly the same.”

Not liking the food certainly won’t be a problem. Despite doing virtually no advertising, Slackoni’s has drawn visitors from Ottawa, Kingston, and Montreal, and already has many repeat customers. “It’s word of mouth, and it has travelled,” he says. “I guess we just hit the market at exactly the right time.”

To illustrate the point, Slack points to four women lunching at a nearby patio table, noting that three had been there for dinner the two previous evenings. “That’s the kind of repeat business we’re getting.”

This profile of Carleton Place’s newest dining establishment wasn’t intended to be a review, but I had an opportunity to sample the dishes in the accompanying picture, and they tasted every bit as good as they smelled coming out of the kitchen. The pasta was a perfect “al dente”, and the seafood fresh and perfectly cooked.

Menu

The Linguine Gamberi featured a delicately buttery sauce, enormous shrimp and tender-crisp broccoli. The Fettuccine Pescatore was chock-full of mussels in the shell, small and jumbo shrimp, calamari rings, and chunks of salmon and crab in a tomato-based sauce that picked just enough of a kick to make it interesting. The Veal Saffron was delicately flavoured – simply delicious.

The overall menu at Slackoni’s isn’t huge, but offers more than enough choice to please the pickiest palate. Dinner and lunch menus are identical, with lunch portions smaller and costing a few dollars less.

Pasta dishes include Fettuccine Frangelico, featuring scallops and rapini in a hazelnut frangelico cream sauce. There are several veal choices, including Vitello Involtini Portabella, featuring a stuffing of portobello mushrooms, prosciutto, mozzarella cheese and red wine and topped with a brandy peppercorn demi-glaze cream sauce.

Chicken dishes include house specialty Pollo di Trento featuring a chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms, artichokes, smoked provolone and mozzarella cheese, lightly breaded and topped with roasted red pepper sauce, and served with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Grilled rack of lamb is served with a mustard mint sauce, roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables, while fish dishes include Seared Tuna, topped with a mango arrabbiata sauce and also served with roasted potatoes and vegetables.

Appetizers include a Shrimp Camponelli, featuring shrimp stuffed with provolone cheese, wrapped in prosciutto and baked in a white wine garlic butter sauce and a Zucchina alla Griglia featuring grilled zucchini stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with a balsamic vinegar reduction. There is also a range of salads and soups.

For those with a sweet tooth, the list of desserts includes tiramisu, chocolate cake, blueberry cheesecake and crème brulé.

Slackoni’s is located at 35 Mill Street, and reservations are available by telephoning 253-5352.

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Article courtesy of Carleton Place Canadian